5 Swimming Essentials You Should Stop Sharing With Anyone
Sharing is indeed one of the best ways to show that you also care for your co-swimmers or co-athletes. However, there are swimming essentials that you shouldn’t share with anyone. It is not to favor selfishness but to practice personal and proper hygiene.
Swimmers like you usually own things that should be for personal use only. These may be swimming caps, bath towels, earplugs, swimwear, and so on. It’s because if you get used to sharing your swimming essentials, and other personal stuff, you may end up with colds, flu, infections, skin irritations and other gross possibilities that may happen.
Come to think of it, if the person who borrows your things won’t give your stuff a good cleaning or laundry service, the bacteria, germs or viruses, may remain in your swimming essentials – of course, you wouldn’t know if they did what they’re supposed to do with borrowed stuff. If that happens, you might catch unwanted infections or irritations that you would never want to happen, right?
With that, we listed these swimming essentials you stop sharing with anyone no matter how close you are. So, proceed to the next pages and raise personal hygiene awareness as a swimmer.
1. Earplugs
Swimmers are prone to developing an ear infection or swimmer’s ear since they spend most of their time in the swimming pool water where there might be bacteria, germs and other microorganisms that may cause infection. To prevent such unfortunate infections from happening, swimmers use earplugs as protection.
Earplugs help protect swimmers from experiencing earaches due to frequent contact with water. With that, earplugs aren’t ideal for sharing because you’re not aware of your colleagues’ hygiene practices. You must be clueless if they’re cleaning their ears and sanitizing their earplugs the proper way.
If you’re one of the guilty swimmers who often let their teammates borrow their earplugs, know that you’re vulnerable to developing bacteria into your ears. You could either be the carrier of the bacteria or someone who’ll suffer from the negligence of personal hygiene of a teammate who often borrows some of your swimming stuff.
2. Snorkel
The next swimming essential you should never or should stop sharing with anyone is your snorkel. As a swimmer or someone who’s learning swimming, you know that your snorkel goes straight to your mouth, right? Well, letting someone borrow your snorkel is like lending your toothbrush too.
Have you ever thought if your colleague brushes their teeth before borrowing your snorkel? Have you ever thought if your colleague isn’t sick before using your snorkel? Ask yourself these questions before feeling bad for not letting someone borrow or use your snorkel, even for a little while.
Plus, you’re not aware if they sanitized the snorkel before returning to you, which may pass on the bacteria, germs, and even viruses. As a result, you may catch unwanted colds, flu or infection, and other diseases related to improper hygiene practices.
3. Swimming caps
Swimming caps don’t only keep the swimmers’ hair from blocking their way and vision while swimming but reduce the drag in the water too. These also protect the swimmers’ hair from the damaging and chlorine-treated swimming pool water. Also, swimming caps prevent the swimmers’ hair from clogging the pool drains and make swimmers visible when swimming in any open water.
Nonetheless, swimming caps are another swimming essential that should be for your personal use only. When you share your spare swimming caps with anyone, you might get dandruff and lice problems since you’re not aware of their hair and scalp condition. The same hair and scalp problems happen to those people who share their caps, combs, hats, hair clips, and pillows with anyone.
4. Swimwear
Swimwear is tight and fitted clothing specially designed for water-based activities or sports like swimming. It is another swimming essential as it helps swimmers reduce the drag in the water and keep swimmers’ body warm.
But still, you shouldn’t get used to sharing your swimwear with anyone. If you notice, your swimwear covers most of your private parts where infections often develop. Sharing swimwear with your teammates, family or friends, may result in herpes, urinary tract infection, yeast infection and other more possible infections. Skin irritation and infection may also take place if you continue sharing your swimwear.
5. Towels
The last swimming essential on the list is your towels. Towels are another hotbed for contagious infections and diseases. That’s why sharing towels even during a family vacation isn’t an ideal thing to do.
Sharing or using the same towel in one go is like spreading bacteria, germs, and even viruses. Also, swimmers like you should change towels once or twice a week to prevent unwanted bacteria and germs from staying on your towels.
Not all swimming essentials and equipment are ideal for sharing.
You might feel bad for saying ‘No’ to your colleagues when they ask to borrow your swimming essentials. But, saying ‘No’ doesn’t always mean that you’re selfish. But mostly to observe and practice proper hygiene.
Your earplugs, snorkel, swimming caps, swimwear, and towels are merely some of your swimming essentials or items that you should stop sharing with anyone. The next time someone tries to borrow your beloved swimming essentials, try your best to say ‘No’ nicely and explain why there are things that swimmers should stop sharing.
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